Sunday 25 September 2016

Tagore updated

& the Thekedar sells such Whiskey as duty-free we might buy
Where the world is not dissected by narrow domestic walls
From Tripoli's shore to Montezuma's halls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Like a bollock naked old Sadhu to abash prurient youth
& tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
which e'er must elude or succumb to infection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
& only loiters by the school-yard with itself to yet play
Where Thought is led forward to, in ever widening faction, partake
Rot thy 'Heaven of Freedom', Father : let my country awake!



Note- the first couplet is adapted from  one by Sanjay K. in an earlier comment on this blog.
In this context, the Thekedar is the Govt. appointed contractor for the sale of alcohol in a given area. TAMSAC, the monopolist in Tamil Nadu, was professionally run but appears to be selling sub-standard stuff. The 200 ml bottles bought by the poor appear to maximize negative externalities without boosting revenue much.

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